COVID-19 Coronavirus and other virus UK and World News Update 29th November 2024
"I have no idea how to work within a system that accelerates catastrophic risk because people are pi**ed about the COVID pandemic. I have no idea how to convince people who think public health is a form of tyranny that millions of people could die in a flu pandemic."
Professor Angie Rasmussen, virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), University of Saskatchewan.
English virus watch summary from the UK Health Security Agency (HSA):
- Influenza activity increased and has reached low activity levels
- COVID-19 activity remained stable and is at baseline levels
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity increased is at medium levels
RSV is particularly affecting babies and infants 0-4 years (moderate levels), and children 5-14 (high). The UK also has a pretty big issue with Norovirus right now (sickness tummy bug).
Stay at home if you are ill...
11,047 deaths were registered in England and Wales, week ending 15 November 2024 (Week 46):
· 11.6% lower than the expected number (1,456 fewer deaths)
· 13.4% involved influenza or pneumonia (1,478 deaths)
· 1.6% involved COVID19 (180 deaths)
Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections are causing havoc, not just in England and Wales, but in Europe, China and the USA. It causes pneumonia, and some people believe it's surging because of the damage done to our immune systems by repeated COVID infections. There's mounting evidence to suggest the link between not only this increase, but with other viruses and bugs. Stay home if you're ill, and if you're having trouble breathing or have chest, side and back pain, contact your doctor.
Hospital waiting times for the UK as a whole are going down, but Wales is breaking records in the bad way. They've cut the number of people waiting 1 and 2 years or more, but the total number waiting for treatment is up for the 8th month in a row. This affects 618,171 people. First Minister Eluned Morgan blames capacity, as Wales has very few private beds which can be bought up to try and clear the backlog.
Clearly throwing money alone at this one is not going to fix it.
In case you hadn't forgotten, we are living with 3 pandemics just now - HIV is still a pandemic, although richer countries can treat it and give people back decades of healthy life (it killed 630,000 people last year). COVID is still a pandemic, and just over 100 days ago WHO declared Mpox a PHEIC (Public Health Emergency of International Concern), which is the closest anyone can come to officially declaring anything.
The PHEIC is due to Mpox Clade 1b - far more deadly than the 2022 Clade 2 variant.
We have a vaccine, but no-one rushed to vaccinate populations, or make vaccines in bulk. No-one has made quick, cheap and easy tests. DRC, which has most cases, can only test a third of suspected infections. Fortunately not quite everyone is ignoring it. The World Health Organisation have granted an emergency use listing to Japan's new Mpox vaccine. This allows them to donate 3 million doses to DRC (thanks guys!)
California have the USA's first known case of the more serious Clade 1 Mpox, in a person who recently travelled from Eastern Africa. In the last month, Clade 1b has been detected in the UK, the US, Germany, Sweden and India. As a world we are allowing people to catch this, and we do so at our peril.
Boris Johnson (previously UK Prime Minister) is still telling people Brexit saved lives with the vaccine rollout.
It didn't.
Wes Streeting, UK Health Secretary, has announced an independent review of Physician Associate (PA) roles in England:
“Many are providing great care and freeing up doctors..but legitimate concerns over transparency for patients leading to a toxic debate where physicians feel ignored and PAs feel demoralised.”
I haven't really had much chance to cover this, what with all the potential pandemics, but PAs are meant to be assistants to doctors and at times their roles are getting blurry. Patients regularly assume they are talking to a doctor, and they aren't. 2 recent deaths of patients have been attributed to PAs, and whether it's because doctors simply aren't there to oversee them, or because PAs are overstepping their line, it is a big issue. Also upsetting is the fact they earn more than a recently qualified doctor, despite having far less training. It's a situation making people angry, it is toxic, and it needs addressing asap.
Research by City St George's, University of London, and published last week shows a 16% rise in babies born with heart defects since the beginning of COVID.
This was a huge study of 18 million births, using data from US birth certificates from December 2020 to November 2022, and compared the findings to pre-COVID December 2016 to November 2019. The increase is striking, and notable in comparison to conditions such as Down's Syndrome, which is a genetic condition not affected by viruses - that remained steady.
I think the UK is very naive in removing the offer of booster vaccinations to pregnant women...
The UK COVID Inquiry continues, with evidence from Adam Wagner, on behalf of Clinically Vulnerable Families
"The vast majority of people who died were Clinically Vulnerable, including people who caught Covid-19 in hospitals, which were supposed to be places of safety... Most urgently, we need to make healthcare safe for Clinically Vulnerable people... And by making it safe for them - by improving ventilation and putting in place other protective measures - we make it safe for others too."
The 'Headline Recommendation' from COVID Inquiry appointed expert Dr Shin:
"If [the NHS estate, particularly ventilation and isolation capacity] is not improved, we will face the next emergency with the same difficulties that we encountered this Covid pandemic."
More of the main points raised:
- Shielding didn't work, other family members had to go to school or work.
- Advice and information incomplete
- People fell through the cracks
- Shielding paused too soon
- No support to end shielding
- General public believe(d) COVID was(is) over
- No urgency, too much waiting for randomised trials before action
- Masks should be worn by healthcare workers, and CV people should not be expected to remove theirs
They ask for Clinically Vulnerable status to be considered under the equality act.
Matt Hancock (previously Secretary for Health and Social Care) gave evidence last week. He said:
"The NHS in England came within “six or seven hours” of running out of gowns and other protective equipment."
Errm yeah. Dr Rosena Allin-Khan reminds us:
"Speak to anyone who was on the frontline and they will remember reusing masks and gowns. The NHS did run out of PPE and his Government failed to protect health workers."
Matt claimed the NHS was not overwhelmed, which didn’t go down well in the public gallery. He accepted (under questioning) that not every patient who needed it could be offered a bed in intensive care, and that staff ratios were stretched up to 6x normal.
Jacqueline Carey KC did the questioning:
“Mr Hancock if you make a statement like ‘the NHS was not overwhelmed’ but you can't get an ICU bed because you're old or you've got down syndrome, or because there aren't enough nurses. People would say that is overwhelmed, wouldn't they?”
(Yes. Yes they would.)
Matt was however keen to point out:
"What we successfully avoided, was an overall rationing - to say, 'people, according to these characteristics, aren’t going to be cared for'.”
Matt had an explanation for hospitals being COVID-spreaders
“Some hospitals did not want to test their staff because they might find too many staff with COVID.”
Ermmm yeah, the Trump approach - don't test, no cases, voila.
Okay, so it's better to get treatment than not, but no-one wants their loved one treated by someone infected with a virus that could make them very ill. People aren't usually in hospital already for no reason...
(You did put blanket 'Do Not Resuscitate' notices on groups of people though, didn't you...)
He also said funerals would have been awful virus spreaders and Nicola Sturgeon (previously Scottish First Minister), caused "all sorts of difficulties" (mostly by wanting to abide by scientific advice).
H5N1 Current situation:
In the last 30 days there were another 284 confirmed dairy herds infected across 2 US states, for a depressingly huge total of 688 confirmed herds affected across 15 states.
Still only 1 herd of pigs.
Still only 1 herd of alpaca.
55 Humans confirmed infected (includes teenager. but not yet toddler - there's always a delay waiting on official confirmation)
- 32 from cattle
- 21 from poultry
- 2 unknown source
The Canadian teenager who is very sick with H5N1 Avian Flu has been in the headlines, with good reason. Bonnie Henry, B.C. Canada's Provincial Health Officer, gave an update on Tuesday, covering a lot of what we've found out over the 2 weeks:
- The teenager is still in critical care (in isolation) on a ventilator, although stable and had shown possible signs of improvement.
- Symptoms began with conjunctivitis and rapidly progressed to a deep lung infection.
- 16 close family and friends and around 60 healthcare workers were monitored and 50 tested. No onward transmission has been found. Anyone with contact (including family) is wearing PPE and being tested regularly.
- All investigations of the dog have been negative.
- The dog had been adopted, so the previous home has been investigated, as have all animals and birds at both locations (there have only ever been 2 known cases of a dog catching bird flu).
- Site visits have been made to the school, although there is certainty the teenager didn't attend while infectious.
- Wastewater and environmental samples have been tested from the home and school. All negative.
- The strain is from wild birds (D1.1), but not a direct match, so there may be a missing link. Not related to US cattle or poultry outbreaks, or other known human cases.
- The strain has 2 distinct mutations - one is for what type of molecules it attaches to (PB2 E627K, which was present in the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic) and the other helps it attach deep inside the lungs.
- The teenager is having regular samples taken to watch for changes, including how the virus reacts to antiviral medications (e.g. Tamiflu).
- It is likely at this point we will never know the source of infection.
And if one child with bird flu wasn't enough, we have another, this time a toddler from Almeda county, Sacramento, USA.
- The child went to day care with mild symptoms before the positive test with a low level of virus.
- The child also tested positive for "respiratory viruses that could be the cause of their cold and flu symptoms". (Hang on, did they have mild symptoms or not?)
- The family have tested negative for bird flu, but also tested positive for more common respiratory viruses (no information on what they were). All were treated with Tamiflu (antiviral).
- The child tested negative 4 days later.
- No known contact with animals, possible exposure to wild birds suspected.
- Other individuals who had contact were offered preventive treatment and testing.
There are a couple of disturbing things. Why were they tested for bird flu with mild symptoms? Will we be able to do genetic tracing?
Live H5 bird flu has been found twice in samples of raw milk on sale in California. It has been voluntarily withdrawn from sale.
We don't know what the risk is to humans. We know H5N1 loves milk and replicates rapidly, and that cats catch bird flu by drinking infected milk. We can't actually test humans, but so far I see no reports of illness. Not really worth the risk though, is it?
California are really trying to control H5N1 bvian flu, with limited success. Health officials have now dipped into their pandemic stockpile and distributed over 2 million pieces of PPE to farmworkers.
Wastewater testing is a fabulous warning signal, but signs aren't great:
- H5 was present in Californian wastewater in early November.
- About 75% of wastewater sites monitored in California now show evidence of H5.
- H5 bird flu virus levels in Los Angeles County wastewater are at an all-time high and no sign of peaking
- Other sites have has positive tests for H5 flu virus, despite no known farming infections locally (e.g Pinellas, Florida)
In good news there IS a bird flu vaccine, but not a huge stockpile, and it's as effective as other flu vaccines, which is around 26%-70%. Very much worthwhile if you want to keep a huge chunk of the population out of hospital, leaving you chance to treat the rest.
There is no mRNA vaccine yet, so the second problem is the current vaccine is developed in fertilised eggs. This is a big issue when egg-laying hens are being infected with the very virus we hope to vaccinate against, and many people have moral or religious objections to such a vaccine.
"For the U.S. alone, it would take hens laying 900,000 eggs every single day for nine months."
Rick Bright, previously the head of the US Health and Human Services Department's Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.
Vaccination and antivirals aren't our only tools. Canada has authorised 2 federal research grants to create simple tests like glucose or pregnancy tests, and to study risk in different age groups.
A reminder that the seasonal flu jab protects against 3 strains of human flu, it will NOT prevent you catching bird flu. It will however lower the chances someone catches both together and creates a monster.
Flu alone can kill you, so 2 types of any flu at once would almost certainly be horrific.
The Canadian teenager, Californian toddler and random Missouri man with avian flu are making several highly respected scientists question whether human to human spread is already underway.
Professor Alan McNally, Professor in Microbial Genomics at the University of Birmingham has been one of the first to say it aloud. He makes it clear that whether he's right or not, we have "unexplained transmission of a non-seasonal flu virus" and that is actually enough to trigger WHO to declare a PHEIC.
For H5N1 to mutate to become a human to human pandemic takes a specific set of changes, and even after all of this time, with millions of bird and mammal infections, we aren't seeing that. The Canadian teenager has worrying mutations not seen elsewhere, but despite that, didn't pass H5N1 on to their family or healthcare workers. It's right to be sensible and cautious, but it's also wise not to panic. It genuinely may never happen.
New research by Northwestern Medicine shows younger and middle-aged adults have worse long COVID symptoms than older adults:
"This is probably one of the most important findings in Long Covid research in the past year.
If you're "young", COVID is less likely to be fatal.
BUT your chances of Long COVID are higher EVEN IF you have mild cases.
Ask yourself: what quality of life do you want?"
Upol Ehsan, Georgia Institute of Technology.
"You may think that neurological symptoms in Long COVID are for old people, but it is the opposite. Young adults (18–44 years) and middle-aged (45–64 years) with mild acute COVID cases (non-hospitalized), represent 90% of the cases of Neuro COVID."
Danielle Beckman, Researcher and Neuroscientist
"Northwestern Medicine researchers found on an average of 10 months after COVID-19 onset, younger (ages 18-44) and middle-aged (ages 45-64) adults had worse neurologic symptoms of long COVID than adults 65 and older. Symptoms included headache, numbness and tingling, problems with smell and taste, blurred vision, depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue and a decrease in cognitive function. These symptoms occurred regardless of if the patient had mild or severe COVID-19 infections."
The study included the first 1,300 patients at the Northwestern Medicine Neuro COVID-19 Clinic with neurologic long COVID symptoms between May 2020 and March 2023.
Only 200 of those patients had been previously hospitalised for severe COVID-19 pneumonia, the other 1,100 had mild COVID-19 symptoms during infection, and hadn't required hospitalisation.
It's a grim finding, and has the potential to affect decades of life for most of those patients.
(Remember brains can reroute and improve for many years after damage, and hundreds of researchers are working on ways to improve symptoms, so there is plenty of hope.)
The UK Government has published statistics on the 'economically inactive' as part of their reforms to Get Britain Working Again.
It's very clear that since COVID began, around 600,000 people have become unable to work, by their own admission:
"The UK is the only major economy that has seen its employment rate fall over the last five years, which has been largely driven by a significant rise in the number of people out of work due to long-term ill health".
Anyone spotting a link at all? Staggeringly obvious?
A new study published in The Lancet, 'Long COVID - a clinical update', found around 2% of the UK population fit the criteria for 'Long COVID'.
"The most socio-economically deprived fifth of the population has TWICE the prevalence as the most affluent fifth."
Trish Greenhalgh, Co-Author.
They found symptoms can be quite specific, such as 'post-exertional malaise', where activity triggers tiredness and fatigue, or sleep problems that prevent recovery from tiredness.
Organ damage was found to lead to problems later on, including severe problems and even death in rare cases, but was not associated with COVID or Long COVID because doctors failed to make the connection (e.g. strokes, kidney damage, Guillane Barre Syndrome).
They found 3 specific pathways were disrupted in Long COVID patients - viral persistence, immune dysregulation, endothelial inflammation/thrombosis - leading to a host of different effects and symptoms.
The study can only go so far, but it did appear that the longer you’ve had Long COVID, the lower your chances of full recovery. They recommend everyone with significant symptoms should be seen promptly for assessment and treatment. They also have hope. They see effective therapies are possible, and suggest ways to manage symptoms.
It's a fascinating study, very comprehensive and informative, and as I said before, it is definitely hopeful for the future.
There are over 200 generally recognised symptoms of Long COVID, and one of the rarer is alcohol intolerance. If you can no longer drink any quantity of alcohol without feeling ridiculously rough, or throwing up, or spending the next couple of days in bed, would you even begin to associate it with having caught COVID?
It may be entirely unrelated, especially as we are all feeling a bit less cash-rich at the moment, but wine-makers are struggling. We are, as a world, buying considerably less wine...
On Wednesday 20th the World Health Organisation hosted a webinar on Long COVID:
"LongCOVID, or post COVID19 condition, is a substantial and ongoing challenge to global health.
Join this webinar for an update on global scenario of research on post COVID-19 condition, what we have learnt so far and initiatives to support patient care."
We are a very long way past anyone pretending this doesn't exist, and yet the World Health Organisation got some insane, and nasty, replies when they posted that on Twitter.
Why in the heck would anyone think it's more likely you can catch COVID and come out of it unscathed? You think you're invincible? We are human beings, we aren't made of steel. There is mountains of physical evidence that damage after COVID infection exists - scans, x-rays, blood tests, deaths etc etc, and that's if you really think millions of people are all making their symptoms up.
(One of the notable Long COVID symptoms is brain damage in areas responsible for logical thought, so maybe more people are suffering than we thought...)
It's long overdue that we face this and begin working out what the heck we do next to try and deal with it, treat it and prevent it.
- £18,000 in appearance fees, paid in the assumption it was going to charity, was kept by the couple
- Hannah tried to pay herself £150,000 a year as the charity CEO
- They were granted planning permission for charity buildings, but built a luxury spa which has been demolished by court order
- A staggering £1.4 MILLION advance from Tom's book deal was retained, despite Tom's forward in the book it was for his charity.
It was confirmed that ALL public money sponsoring Cap'n Sir Tom's 100 laps of his garden and donated to the charity was not stolen.
And some excellent news to end with...
New data out this week shows cases of meningococcal group C disease (Meningitis C) in the UK are down 99% since a vaccine was introduced in 1999. We also have big reductions in Meningitis B.
Nice.
And breathe... lots of news this last couple of weeks. The days are getting darker and Christmas is coming, but that doesn't mean you should forget about you. Have a long bath, read a book, binge watch TV in your pyjamas, but whatever you do, forget about the wider world for a moment and concentrate on indulging yourself. Take that break, your mental health will thank you for it...
I'll be back in 2 weeks unless something big happens. Until then... Keep Your Coughs And Colds To Yourself, Wash Your Hands With Soap, Save The NHS...
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.
..
Sources:
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/
https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations
https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
Mat Hancock COVID Inquiry
https://bsky.app/profile/longcovidsupport.bsky.social/post/3lbhsth5u2s22
Neuro Long COVID
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ana.27128
https://bsky.app/profile/upolehsan.bsky.social/post/3lbquymijuc2t
https://news.nm.org/new-research-shows-younger-and-middle-aged-adults-have-worse-long-covid-symptoms-than-older-adul
Long COVID
UK Gov
https://bsky.app/profile/1goodtern.bsky.social/post/3lbudcwjghf2c
https://x.com/jim_reed/status/1862504448079057052?t=s5boqhBng8tmNK7T_vCLtA&s=09
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/biggest-employment-reforms-in-a-generation-unveiled-to-get-britain-working-again
https://x.com/_CatintheHat/status/1862451088072298847
Long COVID Clinical update
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01136-X/fulltext
https://bsky.app/profile/trishgreenhalgh.bsky.social/post/3lbouimqmck2j
Long COVID alcohol intolerance.
https://x.com/LauraMiers/status/1858511587843137686?t=LsdVofCuNf0KEtOVS_Duyw&s=09
https://x.com/unusual_whales/status/1858499649616650254?t=QBp4KgP9DH1Z4Vl7ANtJ5A&s=19
long COVID webinar WHO
https://x.com/WHO/status/1858835007889956864?t=GhRLyi3tUGKCjcw-ie1sFw&s=09
Meningitis C image
https://x.com/UKHSA/status/1862079361207152864?t=tQc57WE0evIXGMYScbrokg&s=09
How vaccines make a difference Image
https://bsky.app/profile/maxroser.bsky.social/post/3lbijiep5cs2e
Tern fabulous graphs re covid and sickness uk Images
https://bsky.app/profile/1goodtern.bsky.social/post/3lbudcwjghf2c
Image flu jab nhs
https://x.com/UKHSA/status/1841063468054499526?t=a2tDfPjGHx3oQKoZO64XXg&s=09
Amr WHO image
https://x.com/WHO/status/1859544788753666181?t=J6ZOdzAsdNuvQC-OUgME7g&s=09
UKHSAVirusWatch and image
https://x.com/UKHSA/status/1862155747741552916?t=l7_nwRHpXqzrYYgCUXUZyQ&s=09
Image UK NHS look out for others
https://x.com/NHSuk/status/1858957228436308221?t=vhGQ-6zEmdy2i91bRBV_iw&s=09
291124 Positive tests for flu RSV COVID by age group to 24th Nov UKHSA
https://x.com/UKHSA/status/1862509560784707686?t=483tOCi6pstuuBVul6eU-g&s=09
We also have a massive rise in Norovirus right now (sickness and tummy upset).
https://x.com/UKHSA/status/1862478049578504632?t=rO1raxZwDDmQnx03bBz9pg&s=09
ONS latest mortality stats
https://x.com/ONS/status/1861708694766972970?t=fEP6fJ6LRSOBm1w42eo7WQ&s=09
https://www.cdc.gov/ncird/whats-new/mycoplasma-pneumoniae-infections-have-been-increasing.html
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mycoplasma-pneumoniae-surveillance-january-2019-to-march-2024/mycoplasma-pneumoniae-surveillance-in-england-and-wales-january-2019-to-march-2024
ENGLAND VIRUS WATCH
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-reports-2024-to-2025-season/national-flu-and-covid-19-surveillance-report-28-november-week-48
Wales stats up hospitals
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c704y4lk3z9o
Pandemic linked to 16% rise in babies born with heart defects
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20241115/Pandemic-linked-to-1625-rise-in-babies-born-with-heart-defects.aspx
The UK is no longer offering COVID vaccines to pregnant women – here’s why that might be a bad idea
https://theconversation.com/the-uk-is-no-longer-offering-covid-vaccines-to-pregnant-women-heres-why-that-might-be-a-bad-idea-243770
Huge study of 18m births
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/health/covid-19-virus-could-increase-34112404.amp?s=09
Mpox 100 days of PHEIC
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/21/world-responded-slowly-mpox-outbreak
https://www.who.int/news/i
tem/14-08-2024-who-director-general-declares-mpox-outbreak-a-public-health-emergency-of-international-concern
https://www.who.int/groups/mpox-ihr-emergency-committee-2024
Mpox still a PHEIC WHO
https://x.com/HelenBranswell/status/1860015919340355981?t=guYuJtYU90Lrfyfr8tGaEg&s=09
WHO grants emergency use listing to Japan's Mpox vaccine
https://x.com/HelenBranswell/status/1858973038479364184?t=PEneQHxeAHz-6b64peZ5uQ&s=09
Clade 1 Mpox USA
https://bsky.app/profile/helenbranswell.bsky.social/post/3lb3nodaky22f
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/16/health/mpox-clade1-california-first?Date=20241116&Profile=CNN&utm_content=1731787012&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&s=09
Boris still telling people Brexit saved lives with the vaccine rollout
https://bsky.app/profile/peterstefanovic.bsky.social/post/3lb7l57n6c72q
PAs UK
https://x.com/BBCHughPym/status/1859130154154377563?t=qHLkDFApdGhl79CWELQFUg&s=09
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8rl4r36y6eo
Rising NHS physician associate use questioned after Oldham death - BBC News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/czxvww97pleo
https://x.com/implausibleblog/status/1840671887011033197?t=nZBICO0umRpT-IYHW4MXXg&s=09
https://x.com/BBCHughPym/status/1840797298688737428?t=mxZGPFvbTjNLKl-MVud20A&s=19
"There should be no blurring of the lines between PAs and doctors."
The BMA
https://x.com/TheBMA/status/1840766334424035677?t=DtuHXeq38WKV2ALjfHt5fA&s=19
https://x.com/HelenRSalisbury/status/1840808575620272277?t=DeU98QofU10revhJepRyow&s=19
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/09/30/alder-hey-childrens-hospital-liverpool-physician-associate/
https://x.com/UKBooming/status/1840800401102176431?t=OWpRdS_QhNUYIiCUQ1PHWA&s=19
https://x.com/BBCHughPym/status/1840760512360964315?t=WXUbm2H0CZkx_Srk2O5uSQ&s=19
PAs again in more depth
https://x.com/DrNeenaJha/status/1841069699095834691?t=meGbsBElH1q6dFOc8KF7qA&s=09
https://x.com/Shr_Nottingham/status/1840784551070581068?t=1y7LWsj2qI_z1lqsAzymtA&s=19
Uk COVID Inquiry, Adam Wagner
https://bsky.app/profile/cvcev.bsky.social/post/3lbwrsn55us26
COVID Inquiry - Matt Hancock
Matt Hancock COVID inquiry intensive care
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce89k5j27z1o?s=09
https://news.sky.com/story/nhs-was-within-six-or-seven-hours-of-running-out-of-ppe-in-first-covid-wave-says-matt-hancock-13257995
Rosena Allin-Khan
https://bsky.app/profile/drrosena.bsky.social/post/3lbjwsmbqls25
"Matt Hancock makes bombshell claim that Covid pandemic did not overwhelm the NHS"
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/matt-hancock-makes-bombshell-claim-34158030
"Matt Hancock, "Of course funerals are places where people gather and are deeply emotional, and come together, and that was also the thing that drove the spread of the virus"
Inset, photo of the party in CCHQ with music, dancing, singing, platters of food, hosted by Shaun Bailey, who has now been appointed to the House of Lords"
https://x.com/implausibleblog/status/1859548045047730589?t=bZHoysl5cH-UgNSbSl7kXQ&s=09
"As Health Secretary Matt Hancock sent Covid infected patients into Care Homes with zero protection for other residents leading to 30,000-40,000 deaths."
"Former first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon caused “all sorts of difficulties” during the pandemic, Matt Hancock has claimed."
"“Nicola Sturgeon caused 'all sorts of difficulties' during Covid pandemic”: says scandal plagued former Health Secretary Matt Hancock: she refused to party during Covid, insisted on following the rules, and always studied her briefings."
Now at the Covid inquiry he blames Nicola Sturgeon.
https://x.com/BladeoftheS/status/1859596933175640207?t=iZbbcSxc0nAAfeVCh7ZvQg&s=09
https://news.stv.tv/politics/nicola-sturgeon-caused-all-sorts-of-difficulties-during-covid-pandemic-says-hancock
https://x.com/MrJohnNicolson/status/1859567132117279145?t=8PMHl3PfR0L6FRJ9U1y5ng&s=19
Livestream
https://x.com/covidinquiryuk/status/1859558654132826451?t=OzBZY8etZ7c9I37EvrLT6Q&s=19
H5N1
quote angie Rasmussen
https://bsky.app/profile/angierasmussen.bsky.social/post/3lanwtdqywk2r
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/hpai-confirmed-cases-livestock
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-11-15/h5n1-bird-flu-infects-six-more-humans-in-california-oregon
https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/situation-summary/index.html
Canadian teenager with H5N1:
PPE distributed to farmworkers California
https://x.com/outbreakupdates/status/1858194695995986136?t=r8twEWWO64Xqv52yBSf-_A&s=09
Cdc update 18th Nov
https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/spotlights/h5n1-response-11152024.html
Canada update 13th Nov
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/news/2024/11/update-on-avian-influenza-and-risk-to-canadians.html
Spanish flu
https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/9/10/02-0789_article
Three VERY important changes
mixed signals at the #H5N1 D1.1 seq
BC teen uploaded to GISAID last night
In the H5 seq there are TWO changes
in Receptor Binding Domain (RBD)
both are mixed signals with wild type
H5 (using H3 numbering)
E190D
Q226H
PB2 (also mixed)
E627K
https://x.com/HNimanFC/status/1857797498703618258?t=zPl-S_cVLYI2XkPxK60aMw&s=19
https://x.com/erincandy/status/1857763030198526213?t=hLbkasAcqW8CrDLEwjFoow&s=09
Occam’s razor says buckle up.
https://x.com/erincandy/status/1857781075818192987?t=akSGjYx9QtWzhX-Gt69OIQ&s=19
Both of these mutation sites are known to impact α2,6 binding that is needed for human to human transmissibility.
https://x.com/JPWeiland/status/1857830812198031782?t=UPlJVPPd7Wz5QXMlP4Pk1g&s=09
https://x.com/jbloom_lab/status/1857817755199877451?t=U61kqAHU-SJnBYxpN57P7g&s=19
key changes required for mammalian (ferret) transmission
three key positions
HA at positions 226 and 228 (using H3 numbering)
PB2 at position 627
HA at 190 implicated in other studies
https://x.com/HNimanFC/status/1857782880962768977?t=KbtIoz16Oq9KIlU14UxOOg&s=09
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4672456/
https://x.com/HNimanFC/status/1857799871111065689?t=jePEdEOFn3ibL2NOqJxRvw&s=19
The preliminary sequence from the H5N1 human case in British Columbia has been posted and it is not good news.
https://bsky.app/profile/scottehensley.bsky.social/post/3lb36uy5a7k25
RED ALARM on H5N1. It’s got PB2 E627K. The same mutation that 1918 Spanish influenza had.
https://bsky.app/profile/erincandy.bsky.social/post/3lb2zw75io22b
Guardian covers H5N1 teen in Canada and mutations
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/19/bird-flu-cases-mutation-canada?s=09
Sick dog was euthanised. Detailed post mortem going to check for any signs of bird flu
https://bsky.app/profile/krutikakuppalli.bsky.social/post/3lb6sesvbjs2p
Bonnie Henry update on teenager Tuesday 26th Nov
https://x.com/Kin
CONN/status/1861510960789213188?t=S0uxtpPiY_7cKNq2JxIi7Q&s=09
Don't panic
https://www.reddit.com/r/H5N1_AvianFlu/comments/1h1ml9x/cdc_is_letting_us_down/lzd5t23?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=2
Toddler with bird flu Almeda County
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR24-037.aspx
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/News-Releases-2024.aspx
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR24-042.aspx
https://acphd.org/avian-flu/
https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2024-11-19/alameda-county-child-believed-to-be-latest-case-of-bird-flu-source-unknown
https://x.com/richardhirschs1/status/1859078054586318856?t=QjrccR3UyzLcp0_yB2nNrQ&s=09
https://x.com/KinCONN/status/1858959346878828802?t=37GRQpi83IRK7Q6gTf6JdQ&s=09
https://x.com/KinCONN/status/1858936203250196818?t=3U6fDmgJvpeuJdmsec07uA&s=19
https://yubanet.com/california/state-reports-single-possible-case-of-bird-flu-virus-in-child-with-mild-symptoms/
https://x.com/Alexander_Tin/status/1858934147269501013?t=U3WyFQsbh6oT_OHUYJR7Cw&s=19
CDC confirms H5N1 Bird Flu Infection in a Child in California | CDC Newsroom
https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2024/p1122-h5n1-bird-flu.html
Bird flu child sacramento
https://x.com/HelenBranswell/status/1858921221494014303?t=VoRXRGPbsaCScKnFTkfWYg&s=09
Milk for sale
https://publichealth.santaclaracounty.gov/diseases/h5n1-bird-flu
https://web.archive.org/web/20241125033732/https://www.statnews.com/2024/11/24/bird-flu-h5n1-raw-milk-llc-california-virus-testing/
https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/OPA/Pages/NR24-042.aspx
background
https://bsky.app/profile/katherineeban.bsky.social/post/3lbkrqlbgzc2h
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/inside-the-bungled-bird-flu-response
WHO info on H5N1 amd transcripts of meetings
https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2024/11/14/default-calendar/preparing-for-containment-and-mitigation-of-pandemic-h5n1-influenza--uses-of-statistical-and-mathematical-modeling
Wastewater
Avian flu wastewater los angeles
https://x.com/HmpxvT/status/1857778146134864336?t=mogUZVdhAuTv-J0P6EGQTw&s=09
H5N1 in wastewater California early Nov
https://x.com/HmpxvT/status/1857846094551724463?t=ckZyTtYjZ1Nwu5TGLsdyvw&s=09
https://data.wastewaterscan.org/tracker/?charts=CjIQASABSABSBjY2YmM0NFIGYWUwM2Y3UgY0MDhjMDJaB0luZkFfSDV4KooBBmZjYzVmZA%3D%3D&selectedChartId=fcc5fd
https://x.com/outbreakupdates/status/1857779175442047045?t=pgyzqcKb1KEjL4O1FnAPpQ&s=09
Bird flu vaccine
https://x.com/DaniBeckman/status/1857832031541248479?t=LGXpCUJprUIStw0joUI3bg&s=09
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bird-flu-vaccine-chicken-eggs-researching-alternatives/
H5N1 Canada 2 federal research.grants
https://healthsci.mcmaster.ca/mcmaster-researchers-get-federal-funding-to-study-emerging-bird-flu-threat/
https://www.reddit.com/r/H5N1_AvianFlu/s/kJfujgT70w
Prof Alan McNally
Helen Branswell.video 3 cases
https://bsky.app/profile/alanmcn1.bsky.social/post/3lbksrsul222q
https://bsky.app/profile/alanmcn1.bsky.social/post/3lbkwupzalk2q
Taxpayers alliance
"As Matt Hancock gives evidence at the Covid Inquiry, we found that the inquiry is projected to cost taxpayers £208 million, making it the most expensive inquiry in British history!
Read our research here"
https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/estimate_the_growing_cost_of_the_covid_inquiry
Captain Tom
https://x.com/BBCBreakfast/status/1859487282815775065?t=FZ_4sHzwioFm4pkdXromkQ&s=19
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c86qdq67dd5o
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